Fish stringer



Oct. 23, 1951 N, Q W, MULSOW 2,572,653

FISH STRINGER Filed Jan. 25, 1949 IVe/son W Mu/sow www Patented Oct. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to a fish stringer and has for its primary object to support a catch of fish over the side of a boat and at the desired depth.

Fish stringers of the type to which this invention relates have heretofore been developed as is exemplified by Patents 2,437,331; 849,410; and 1,000,756. Such devices serve admirably Vfor the purpose intended, but do not provide for adjusting the depth to which the catch may be supported beneath the surface of the water.

Accordingly, one of the major objects of this invention is to suspend the catch at the desired depth beneath the surface of the Water.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features a plate adapted to overlie the top edge of the gunwale or transom of a boat, a depending leg extending downwardly from each side edge of said plate, said legs forming with the plate a substantially inverted, U-shaped, resilient clip of which the plate forms the bight portion` a downwardly extending hook carried by one of the legs adjacent its junction with the plate for holding the ring carried by a conventional iish Stringing line, an eye carried by said leg remote from the hook for supporting the spike or needle carried by a conventional sh Stringing line, upwardly and outwardly extending ears carried by the plate substantially midway between opposite ends thereof, said ears cooperating to form a line holding cleat around which the fish Stringing line may be wrapped, and a latch plate struck from the inner leg portion and extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom, the plate and the inner leg portion forming a line securing constriction therebetween. In the drawings, vFigure 1 is a perspective view of a device for securing a iish Stringing line to a boat, the iish stringer being shown in broken lines;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View through a boat showing this improved fish Stringer and line anchoring device in use.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a plate I0 of a width substantially equal to the width of a conventional gunwale or transom is provided along opposite side edges with depending legs I2 and I4, the lower ends of which are turned outwardly as at I6 to form guiding surfaces in positioning the device on a boat. The arms or legs I2 and I4 are preferably arranged in slightly convergent planes to form resilient grips for opposite sides of the gunwale or transom of the boat in order frictionally to engage said sides and hold the device in place.

The leg I2 is provided with a hook I8 which is preferably located near the junction of the leg I 2 with the plate I0, and adjacent one side edge of the leg I2, and carried by the leg I2 remote from the hook I8 is an eye 20 which forms a support for the needle or spike of the Stringer. lExtending upwardly from the plate I0 in spaced parallel relation are ears 22, the upper ends of which are turned outwardly, as at 24, so as to lie in substantially spaced parallel relation with the top of the plate I0, and form, in cooperation, a lineholding cleat such as is commonly employed in the nautical arts.

The device just described is primarily adapted for use with a conventional iish-stringer designated generally 26 which compris-es a conventional line 28 which carries at one end a conventional ring 30, and at its opposite end a conventional needle or spike 32.

Should it be so desired, the leg I2 may also be provided with a downwardly and outwardly inclined flange 34, comprising a latch plate cooperating with the leg I2 to form a line securing constriction therebetween, the lower outer edge of which is provided with an inturned hook 36 which may serve as a bottle opener.

In use, the fish Stringer holder is clipped over the side of a boat as suggested in the drawings so that the plate IB will overlie the top edge of the gunwale or transom of a boat with the legs I2 and I4 embracing opposite sides thereof frictionally to hold the device in place. When it is desired to suspend a string of iish over the side of the boat, the fish are strung on the stringer in the conventional manner by passing the needle or spike through the gill and mouth of the i'lsh. After the catch has been made and the i'lsh strung on the Stringer, it is obvious that by engaging the ring 30 with the hook I8 as illustrated in Figure 1, the string adjacent the end carrying the spike or needle 32 may be wound around the ears 22 in the manner of winding a line or hauser about a cleat, in order to regulate the depth to which the catch is held below the surface of the Water. After so winding the Stringer line, the spike or needle 32 is supported in the eye 20 from which it may be easily and quickly detached when it is desired to place additional iish on the string. Obviously, when additional sh are to be placed on the Stringer, the needle or spike may be disengaged from the eye and by unwinding the Stringing line that has been wound about the ears 22, the additional catch may be threaded on to the stringer and by taking a few turns about the ears 22, the depth to which the catch is supported beneath the surface of the water may be regulated. At the same time, by reason of the fact that one end of the Stringing line is anchored to the hook I8 by way of the ring 3Q, and the portion of the line remote from the ring is wound about the ears 22, it is evident that the depth to which the sh catch is suspended may be varied to suit the desires of the user.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that -minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the vspirit and-scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a iish Stringer of the type which includes a Stringing line, a ring carried by one end of the line and a spike or needle carried bythe opposite end of the line, means Vfor Securing the Stringing line to a boat and holding the catch at the desireddepth over the Side of the boat comprising a plate adapted to overlie the top edge of the Ygunwale or transom of a boat, a depending leg extending downwardly 'from each side edge of said plate, said legs for-ming with the lplate a substantially inverted U-Shaped resilient clip of which'the plate forms'the bight portion, a downwardly extending hook carried by one of the legs adjacentits junction with the plate for holding the ring carried bythe Stringer,V an eye carried by said leg remote from the hook for Supporting the spike 'or needle, and upwardly and outwardly extending ears carried by the plate substantially midway between oppositeends thereof, said ears cooperating to form a line-holding cleat around which the stringing line may be wrapped.

2. A sh string-er comprising a plate bent -intermediate its ends to forma resilient U-shaped clamp having a web portion and depending leg portions, an ear struck' outwardly from :said inner leg portion and having a laterally offset downwardly extending iinger paralleling said inner leg portion; said ear being adapted to receive the ringed end of a Stringer, a lug Struck upwardly from -said web portion and having a laterally offset integral extension paralleling said web portion, said lug and extension providing a line winding cleat, a resilient loop struck from said inner leg portion for detachably receivingthespiked end of a iish Stringer.

3. A sh Stringer comprising'a plate bent intermediate its ends to form a resilient U-shaped clamp having a web portion and depending leg portions, an ear struck outwardly from said inner leg portion and having a laterally offset downwardly extending nger paralleling said inner leg portion, said ear being adapted to receive the ringed end of a Stringer, a lug struck upwardly from said web portion and having a laterally oiset integral extension paralleling said web portion, said lug and extension providing a line winding cleat, a resilient loop struck from said inner leg portion for detachably receiving the spiked end of a fish Stringer, a latch plate struck from said inner leg portion and extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom, Said plate and said inner leg portion forming a line securing constriction therebetween.

Y 4.v A fish Stringer comprising a plate bent intermediate its-ends to form a resilient U-shaped clamphavi-ng a web portion and depending leg portions, an ear struck outwardly from Said innef leg portions and having a laterally offset downwardly extending finger paralleling said inner legV portion, 4said ear being adapted` to :receive thev ringed end of a Stringer, a pair of lugs :struck upwardly from said web` portion, each Vhaving laterally offset integral arms paralleling said web portion, said arms extending in opposite directions, said lugs and arms forming a line winding cleat, a resilient loop struck from said innenleg portion for detachably receiving the spikedend of a lsh Stringer.

5. A sh Stringer comprising a plate bent intermediate its ends to form a resilient U-shaped clamp having a web portion and dependingleg portions, an ear struck outwardlyirom said'inner legA portions and having a laterally `offset downwardly extending'nger paralleling said inner leg portion, said-ear being adaptedto-receive the ringed end of a stringer,a pair of lugsstruck upwardly from said web portion,` each having laterally offset integral arms paralleling said web portion, said arms extendingin opposite directions, said lugs and arms forming :a line winding cleat, a resilientV loop struck from said inner leg portion for detachably receiving the spiked end of a sh Stringer, a latch plate struck from said inner leg portion and extending downwardly `and outwardly therefrom, saidfplate and Seidl-nner leg portion forming a line securing constriction therebetween.

NELSON O. W. MULSOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 849,410 Mills Apr..9, 1907 1,000,756 Roberts Aug. 15, .1911 2,437,331 Murray etal Mar.. 9, 1948 

